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Matt Lauer traveled to Namibia, Africa, after leaving the comfort of studio 1A Friday morning. It's the home of spring skiing on sand dunes and exotic animals around every turn.
Located on the Skeleton Coast, Matt revealed his location from on the top of a sand dune (which he then skiied down). It's an area that is among other things becoming a haven for extreme sport lovers.
What about those clues? We've updated our previous post to reveal what they hinted at. Learn what it took to travel from New York City to Namibia.
Want to visit Namibia? Check out our TODAY Travel Guide
Namibia, twice the size of California with 2.1 million people, is like everything you ever imagined a desert would look like: Dunes that have never been walked on stretching for as far as the eye can see. And yet, the landscape here is constantly changing.
The Skeleton Coast, often called the "sands of hell," is trecherous as the sandy shoreline constantly shifts with the winds and dense fog forms off the coast. Captains rarely know quite where they are.
The best way to see the area is by chopper. Take a look at the shipwrecks and whale skeletons:
The beautiful country in southwest Africa gets about 300 sunny days and less than 1 inch of rain every year.
In the desert, water can mean the difference between life and death. Matt visited one of the last nomadic tribes in the world, the Himba Tribe.
With water so scarce, the women have learned to bathe in smoke. Watch the amazing video below:
Namibia has elephants, lions and even a huge colony of cape fur seals along the coast.
Savannah Guthrie — who was waiting for Matt on the coast — go in seach of the gentle giants and fast felines that inhabit Namibia.
Blog: Go behind the scenes of Namibia's Where in the World shoot
She went to Damaraland, which is a bit east of the coast, to search for the awesome elephants thriving in bone-dry conditions.
She and Matt also pet a cheetah! There are great visuals in this segment; watch it below!
And if animals aren't your thing, how about diamonds? They're mined in open water.
Namibia is also fast becoming a center for extreme sports.
Henrik May, the world-record holder for sand skiing, helped Savannah test out the slopes. Henrik holds the world record for downhill sand skiing. Check out more about him here. TODAY was also helped by African Extreme Promotions.
Watch Savannah's dive down the dunes in the video below.
Also sneak a peek at Namibia's eats and check out the gifts that Matt is bringing back Ann, Al and Natalie.
What did you think of the Skeleton Coast in Namibia? Would you like to go? Let us know in the comments.
Where will Matt end up tomorrow? Check out two clues here. Follow us on Facebook to decode Matt's riddles with other die-hard fans.
Related content:
Where in the world has Matt gone before? Find out here
Matt tells his 10 humorous travel tips to Letterman
Find complete coverage of Matt Lauer's Where in the World trips
Leave a Comment:
is matt in killington, vermont?
Anybody have any idea why the helicopter had to remain powered up ? I thought it might have something to do with the dune but the noise of it was evident when Matt was talking to the woman from D.C.
I really enjoyed this video. So proud of Namibia for protecting its landscape and animals. America could do much better with its resources and native animals. I would love to see Africa!
Please show more videos of successe wtih conservation!!
Is Matt going to Westfield in Massachusetts next?
No, he will be somewhere in SPAIN (The Iberian Peninsula)
To find out more about Naankuse's cheetah and wildlife conservation projects please visit www.naankuse.com
On my way to Walvis Bay tomorrow, with a side trip overland to Luderitz. VERY coincidental that "Today" wound up going to my destination. Was in Naimibia from mid-June/late August this year for first time- been over most of Africa, but the land and the people here are byeond compare (shhhh- don't tell anyone!)...
I'm thinking maybe the "Wrangel Island" in Antartica might be the next stop.
I hope that Matt will point out that Sea Shepherd organization has been trying to stop the seal slaughter with Operation Desert Seal 2011. The Namibian Government has allowed 85,000 baby seals to be killed and a further quota of 6,000 bull seals to be slaughtered. This all happens at a seal preserve starting July 1st at 6am then bulldozers come scrape the blood and mess away so tourists can come see the seals at this nature preserve. Please help stop the seal slaughter in Namibia.
Thank you for highlighting this amazing and pristine country. Learn more about travel to Namibia at Ultimate Safaris - Namibia:
www.ultimatesafaris.na
or Facebook/LinkedIn
Here is another wonderful conservation foundation that's making a difference in Africa:
www.africat.org
Why in the world would the Today Show have all that background noise drowing out most of Matt's commentary. First it was the annoying drum music, then the helicopter, then the boat, then the drum music again. I was interested in learning about Namibia, but could not hear most of what Matt was saying due to all the background noise. Producers should take note that it is most important to hear what Matt is saying about the places that he is visiting. I actually changed the station to Good Morning America because this was so annoying!
I had never heard of the Skeleton Coast. I am very interested in learning more about it. Very beautiful landscape and very beautiful country is Namibia.
Hi Texas Girl,
I travelled to Namibia with my family in 2009 and absolutely fell in love! I now am representing the company that we used: www.UltimateSafaris.na You can see pictures and comments on our family blog at: or find me on LinkedIn.
Like Matt and Savannah all our guest leave Namibia with unforgettable everlasting memories of mystical Namibia for any questions on Namibian vacations do not hesitate to contact us. Foxtrot Tour’s www.foxtrot - tours-namibia.com
Matt's next stop = Krakatoa, Anak Krakatau
How refreshing it is -- seeing a country caring more about conservation, its people and their children's future instead of the standard worldwide fare of get-it-all-nowedness-and-tomorrow-be-dammed $ sign bottom line instant gratification mentality that has for years been imploding Our Planet. Kudos to Namibia for this!
At the same time, as JIW partially pointed out, sport hunting accounts for approx. 15% of the country's economy. One can only hope there is now oversight in this arena -- for example only allowing the bagging of older / weaker specimens from any given species.
Here's the directly quoted Article 95 re conservation / natural resources from the Namibian Constitution:
"The State shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting international policies aimed at the following: maintenance of ecosystems, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity of Namibia, and utilization of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future."
....not exactly a place most people would care to visit unless they love hot endless deserts and have enough money to afford to helicopter everywhere you go.....
Why isn't he hanging out with the Special Forces of the Loony Cloony mission to central Africa??? you can count of the cowards from MSNBC family to duck the real issues.
Put a helmet onyou are on national TV....!!!!!! Helmet safety!!!!!! Didn`t they just report about a man DYING from NOT wearing a helmet on a ATV....Next they will say Bad ATV no good DANGER!!!!! THATS BULLSH!T
I think the segment is a complete disgrace. If the network and the Today program are doing that well financially in order to afford the travel expenses, rental vehicles, hotel rates, and all the other production costs and business-related travel expenses for this segment when people are losing their jobs daily, can't put food on their tables and their homes are going up for forclosure then they should put all this extra money in the hard-hit communities and small businesses, contribute to food charities and put back money to help the economy. If I want to see the world I have the internet at my fingertips, the Discovery Channel and NatGeo. The segment is interesting and I watched it completely, but the entire time I kept thinking of where best to put that money where it could be better spent.
Is he the news man with the extra long legs
I think the work that Naankuse does for the People and Animals of Namibia is incredible. They run their own Clinic in a remote area of the country and fund it 100% themselves as well as releasing over 40 animals within a couple of years (also at their own expense) and even built a school on their farm for the San children. I visited there and they really do what they say. Check out their website www.naankuse.com.
I have an idea (let's see if NBC is reading any of this) - why not send someone who otherwise can't afford or would never get to go to these locations? Let Matt go on his own time and on his own dime. He gets paid enough he should be able to afford to do it.
I think the work that Naankuse does for the People and Animals of Namibia is incredible. They run their own Clinic in a remote area of the country and fund it 100% themselves as well as releasing over 40 animals within a couple of years (also at their own expense) and even built a school on their farm for the San children. I visited there and they really do what they say. Check out their website www.naankuse.com.
Seeing those images on the Today Show special with Matt and Savannah in Namibia brought back a flood of memories from my mountain biking trip there last year. It’s nice to see the country painted in such a positive light that shows the many different aspects of Namibia as a travel destination. It’s amazing how Matt covered a lot of the highlights from the Sand Dunes at Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast,
This is such a unique part of Africa, and the most interesting thing is that because the environment is so harsh, every living thing from the plants to animals such as beetles or Desert adapted elephants, everything there has an amazing story to tell.
Visiting Namibia is good all year round. The great thing to see was how they worked with Wilderness Safaris to coordinate the trip. I recognized some of the people on TV from my trip and I’m sure they’d get a kick to hear they are on national television on a program viewed by millions of people!
The amount of conservation work they do in Namibia is mind-boggling and I was able to see this firsthand. From empowering local communities to rhino conservation work, they do it all.
Wilderness Safaris partners with tour companies all over the world and we have been a proud partner of theirs for over 20 years and are now one of their biggest tour operator suppliers into the Skeleton Coast and Damaraland. Together we have been able to arrange travelers worldwide, some of their greatest adventures.
Best, Ian Flores
Safari Consultant at the Africa Adventure Company
www.Africa-Adventure.com